板球（或称木球、桨球，英语：cricket）是由两队各十一人进行对抗比赛的一项团队运动。其现代形式起源于英格兰，盛行于英联邦国家，如在英国、澳大利亚、新西兰、印度、南亚、非洲南部、西印度群岛等地。板球的球季主要在春季与夏季，刚好跟在秋季与冬季打的足球互补。

板球比赛时间长度不一，国际板球对抗赛的一场比赛每天进行六小时或以上，并长达五天；还有许多午餐和饮茶的休息时间；以及丰富的板球术语，都是使板球门外汉非常困扰的原因。但对于球迷来讲，这项运动以及顶尖板球国家队之间的激烈竞争，都为他们提供了充满激情的娱乐，甚至偶尔会发生外交冲突，如英格兰与澳大利亚之间臭名昭彰的快速投球（Bodyline）系列赛。

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a cricket field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard-long pitch with a set of three wooden posts sited at each end. One team, designated the [batting (cricket)|batting]] team, attempts to score as many runs as possible, whilst their opposition field. After either ten batsmen have been dismissed or a set number of overs have been completed, the two teams then swap roles. The winning team is the one that scores the most runs, including any extras gained, during their period batting.